Tased man dies after scuffle with OPD at Universal Studios theater

A Polk County man died after police officers used a Taser on him early Friday — an incident likely to reignite the debate about stun-gun safety in Central Florida.

Adam Spencer Johnson, 33, of Winter Haven, was behaving erratically in front of a theater at Universal CityWalk about midnight, police said.

He was "grabbing his beard, grabbing his head…he was being disorderly," police spokeswoman Sgt. Barbara Jones told reporters early Friday.

The four off-duty police officers working Universal CityWalk noticed his unusual behavior and contacted another officer to help them restrain Johnson, but he resisted violently, police said.

"They ended up tussling with him," Jones said.

After one officer used a stun gun on him, the officers handcuffed Johnson. He then became nonresponsive; the officers started CPR and called a rescue crew, according to police.

Johnson was pronounced dead at Dr. Phillips Hospital. The Medical Examiner will determine the cause of death, according to police. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement has received the surveillance video of the incident and is investigating.

The officers who were involved are on administrative leave, a standard procedure under such circumstances. Internal Affairs also has been notified.

Tasers, or stun guns, are handheld devices that that fire prongs to transmit an electrical charge to temporarily disable someone.

The devices, which are not generally lethal, can issue a jolt of 50,000 volts. The jolts are painful and can cause involuntary muscle contractions, experts say. Some are critical of the devices, however, saying they are too dangerous.

Amnesty International has determined that more than 300 people in the U.S. have died since 2001 after they were jolted by Tasers.

Orlando police officers used their Tasers 315 times in 2010, 357 times in 2009, and 278 times in 2008, according to Jones. The numbers for 2011 were not immediately available.

A 2008 report by the U.S. Justice Department warned against using Tasers on people who were extremely agitated or under the influence of drugs.

Five people died after Orange County deputies stunned them with Tasers between 2001 and 2008. Those deaths sparked an investigation of the sheriff's office by the U.S. Department of Justice.

The Sheriff's Office ultimately came to an agreement with the justice department in October of last year to tighten up its rules for using the devices.

Johnson's family could not be reached immediately for comment. A background search shows that he had no criminal record in Florida.